Cleveland State was admitted to the 2010 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for engaging its students, faculty and staff in meaningful service that achieves measurable results in the community.
The Corporation for National and Community Service, which has administered the Honor Roll since 2006, admitted a total of 641 colleges and universities for their impact on issues from literacy and neighborhood revitalization to supporting at-risk youth.
Of that total, 511 were named to the Honor Roll, 114 received the recognition of Honor Roll with distinction, 11 were identified as finalists, and six received the Presidential Award.
“As members of the class of 2011 cross the stage to pick up their diplomas, more and more will be going into the world with a commitment to public service and the knowledge that they can make a difference in their communities and their own lives through service to others, thanks to the leadership of these institutions,” said Patrick A. Corvington, chief executive officer of CNCS.
“Congratulations to Cleveland State Community College and its students for their dedication to service and commitment to improving their local communities. We salute all the Honor Roll awardees for embracing their civic mission and providing opportunities for their students to tackle tough national challenges through service.”
The Service-Learning program has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years at CSCC. This has been aided by Cleveland State’s Susan Webb-Curtis, CSCC’s director of Cooperative Education and Service-Learning, who was recently awarded the 2010 Tennessee Treasure Award for her service-learning efforts at the college.
Since Webb-Curtis accepted responsibility for service-learning at the college, classes have been developed to provide students with the opportunity to connect what they are learning in the classroom with service in the community.
These service-learning classes are a part of CSCC’s effort to stress civic responsibility to students. Webb-Curtis has worked to build an infrastructure for service-learning at the college including a website, brochure, newsletter, and video and she continues to work to identify resources for faculty and develop community partnerships.
She was instrumental in forming a Service-Learning Advisory Council to provide guidance for the new initiative.
She wrote grants to receive the assistance of AmeriCorps VISTAs on the Cleveland State campus. She has attended numerous professional conferences and brought in speakers she has met in the field to present workshops for CSCC faculty.
Currently, approximately 30 percent of CSCC full-time faculty has incorporated service-learning activities into their courses, and Webb-Curtis continues to work to recruit and support other full-time and adjunct faculty members who are interested in learning how to join the service-learning initiative.
Dr. Carl Hite, CSCC president, said, “Susan Webb-Curtis has done a marvelous job with our Service-Learning program at the college. This recognition demonstrates the hard work and commitment the college has put into this program. We appreciate very much the recognition being bestowed upon the college. Because of service-learning, students can now apply what they have learned in the classroom to the real world, and that is very important.”
A total of 851 institutions applied for the 2010 Honor Roll, a nine percent increase over last year, a sign of the growing interest by colleges and universities in highlighting their efforts to engage students in making a difference in the community.
Dr. Jerry Faulkner, vice president for Academic Affairs, said, “This award is validation at a national level of the work that our faculty have done to incorporate service-learning into the Cleveland State experience. The college is committed to involving more and more students in service-learning.”
On campuses across the country, millions of college students are engaged in innovative projects to meet local needs, often using the skills learned in classrooms.
In 2009, 3.2 million college students dedicated more than 307 million hours of service to communities across the country, service valued at more than $6.4 billion. Business and law students offer tax preparation and legal services, and college student volunteers provide meals, create parks, rebuild homes after disasters, conduct job training, run senior service programs, and much more.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a strong partner with the nation’s colleges and universities in supporting community service and service-learning.
Last year, CNCS provided more than $215 million in support to institutions of higher education, including grants to operate service programs and the Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards for college tuition and student loan repayment.
CNCS is a catalyst for service-learning programs nationwide that connect community service with academic curricula. Through these programs, in classes, and in extracurricular activities, college students serve their communities while strengthening their academic and civic skills.
CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of the service. For a full list of recipients and descriptions of their service, visit www.NationalService.gov/HonorRoll.
